Day 28 - Innerkrems to Braunau am Inn

Tuesday 24th July 2018

The day dawns clear and bright as we prepare to head north through Austria and up to the border with Germany. It is with a certain melancholy that we finish another excellent breakfast at the Pension Zirbenhof and strap the gear onto the bikes.

For today we will bid farewell to the Alps until next time. When we get to the lakes to the east of Salzburg we will head down into the Inn River valley and from there it’s downhill all the way in more ways than just the elevation. It is the beginning of the end of the tour and home is very much on our minds.

The road north from the pension. Turn right and you are at the Nockalmstrasse toll booth.


 But first we have a few good routes planned. We take the back roads at first and stumble upon an impressive castle. The Schloss Moosham is a pretty old castle with a moat, up on a hill looking over Mur Valley.

The main gate at Schloss Moosham


Moat and tower


 You can visit if you stump up €11 but we’ve no time for that today. So on we go, up and over Obertauern and then head for the Postalm toll road.

Postalm is a pretty little road over the last knockings of the Alps before we arrive at the Austrian Lakes to the east of Salzburg. I found it a few years ago, quite by chance, and I am happy to return here for another look.

It costs €5 to ride on a quiet well-paved road up to high cow pastures.

Climbing up to Postalm


Lovely views


After a coffee in a small Gasthof we ride around the shores of Mondsee and head further north to  Braunau am Inn. I have made a note of a small camping site called Gasthof Putscher on the south bank of the river. It’s ts a good spot under leafy trees laden with plum-type fruit, possibly damsons. 

Tents under the fruit trees


It is still very hot as evening comes. We have a beer in the Gasthof and make a rudimentary supper from leftover bread, cheese and ham from our emergency stores.

Then we stroll down to the Inn. It is a big river here. Soon it will converge with the mighty Danube and start heading down to the Black Sea.
The River Inn



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